Travel: Huntington Beach mixes memories with a cool summer getaway

Even though our hangin' ten days are probably behind us, every now and then we just need our Jan and Dean fix. Huntington Beach, 35 miles south of Los Angeles, supplies it and then some. With more than eight miles of beach, super places to eat and stay and summer weather that is SO much cooler than Ahwatukee, it is almost irresistible. And the drive over isn't bad.

While we waited for our room to be ready at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa, we had lunch at Pete's Sunset Grille at the resort just to put us in a surf-y mood. On the site of the former Mallory Surf Board Factory, the restaurant's decor celebrates the watery sport with boards hanging everywhere, and signposts naming the world's great surfing spots.

Mango iced tea and a couple of Sunset burgers (half-pounders with the works, plus fries) sustained us handily until supper.

We chose the Hyatt Regency because it has direct beach access. A bridge spans Pacific Coast Highway, putting us directly on the beach and the strand. Also, the Hyatt has its own little shopping area with a gallery, boutiques and a deli where we picked up sandwiches for the drive back to Ahwatukee.

Even though we didn't expect to spend much time in our room, we enjoy a private balcony and plush robes for relaxing. High-speed wireless Internet access was a big plus. Our room overlooked the pool and gardens, with the Pacific just around the corner.

We headed right for the beach, where we connected with husband/wife team Marc and Michelle, who own Dig it!, a sand castle-building company.

They provided us with little shovels, a bucket and various molding tools and invited us to duplicate the impressive sand edifice they'd already erected. While we didn't exactly come up with Neuschwanstein, with a little coaching we were able to create a palace of sorts. The Hyatt makes all arrangements.

After a water's edge stroll we headed back to the hotel for previously-booked spa appointments. The vitamin C facial and Swedish massage at Pacific Waters Spa were both outstanding.

For dinner we walked next door to the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort, to a restaurant called Shades. We immediately understood the significance of its name. From a soaring ceiling, large richly-colored shades covered subtle lights that accented regal colors and local artwork.

Feeling indulgent, we started with Maryland crab cakes, butter lettuce salad, and followed with crispy-skin Arctic char and a small filet mignon still cool in the center. Paired with a Robert Sinskey merlot from Carneros, the meal was a showcase for Executive Chef Jeff Littlefield's "buy it fresh and keep it simple" credo.

On the walk back to the Hyatt, we detoured along the beach where groups were roasting hot dogs and toasting marshmallows. Huntington Beach is one of the few coastal communities that provides free public fire pits. Next time we're here, we'll stop at the hotel's deli and pick up a couple of Gourmet S'mores kits. They come with Hershey's bars, marshmallows, graham crackers and toasting sticks.

The next day, as we headed out for our early-morning beach walk, we noticed Blue Water Pedicabs lined up to transport pedestrians along the strand. We hopped aboard as sinewy-legged Tony muscle-powered us a mile or so along the beach to downtown and the Sugar Shack Café.

For more than 40 years, the Sugar Shack has offered great home-cooked breakfasts and lunches on an umbrellaed patio on Main Street, or on a small back patio. Open at 6 a.m. for those of us who get our beach walks in early, the morning menu includes ham and eggs, omelets, pancakes, waffles and more.

Our stick-to-your-ribs choices were two enormous bowls of oatmeal (order the small portion) with separate bowls of fresh fruit, plus coffee and orange juice.

Things to do in Huntington Beach are almost endless. We could have rented a beach cruiser from Toes on the Nose at the resort, to pedal along the strand, and even in the sand. Or we could have gotten a kite at Kite Connection on the pier to fly in reliable beach breezes.

But with strains of "Surf City" echoing in our brains, the best thing to do seemed to spend as much time as possible on the sand, watching wet-suited surfers, admiring the tans of beach volleyball players, and enjoying the remnants of a culture that once was cheerfully ruled by woodies, longboards and beach blanket bingo.

Judy Wade and Bill Baker pack and unpack in Ahwatukee Foothills.